Community Outreach

HCHS Events: Community Outreach

The Humboldt County Historical Society aims to evoke a sense of place within the local community by connecting Humboldt County residents to the historical context of our shared home. To this end we work to organize events that showcase unique materials from our collections in local public spaces. We hope that public interaction with these materials at local exhibits and events will generate interest and investment in preserving Humboldt County's cultural heritage.

Strange Wonders on the Whaling Wharf at the Miniplex

As a fundraiser for our digital archive project, Historical Society staff will present archival film footage of whaling crews on the high seas in pursuit of whales off the Humboldt coast. Film footage includes shots of the Eureka whaling station at Fields Landing, the last operating whaling station in the country. Recorded in the 1940s, the original reel-to-reel film will be shown using a vintage projector.

Running vintage cellulose film on an original projector is dangerous business, but not to worry - this film has already been preserved digitally. This screening is a fundraiser to support the digitization of other valuable resources unique to the Humbodt County Historical Society collection.

Historical Society archivist and historian Jim Garrison will provide live narration and historical presentation about the Eureka Whaling Station at Fields Landing and the history of whaling in Northern Humboldt.

There will be two presentation times, one from 4-5pm and one from 6-7pm.